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Consumer Victories

Consumer’s persistence and CUB lead to $797 Sprint credit

Your monthly cellphone bill already takes a chunk out of your wallet, and even more if you have multiple people on one plan. So when Moira Melendez and her son Michael found a “buy one, get one free” offer, they thought they had come across a great deal.  But the months…...

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From the CUB files: The case of the “mixed meter,” and a $495 refund

Each year, thousands of Illinoisans call CUB with complaints or inquiries about their utility companies—that includes Charlene. The 75-year-old condo resident didn’t know why her electric bill had skyrocketed. She cares about efficiency—turns off lights, unplugs unused appliances, sets the thermostat no higher than 68 degrees, and avoids energy guzzlers…...

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She wondered why her electric bill had skyrocketed

By Ivonne Ortiz, Environmental Outreach Coordinator, CUB  Each year, CUB helps thousands of Illinoisans who have complaints/inquiries about their utility companies. Recently, I took the complaint of a ComEd customer who wondered why her power bills were skyrocketing. She lives alone in a condo and hadn’t made any changes to her…...

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CUB Executive Director’s mid-year report

CUB’s legal team gets the headlines with the big victories, but our consumer advocacy and outreach teams offer vital help to individual consumers on a daily basis. The Chicago Tribune’s Help Squad profiled a recent CUB utility-bill clinic. We hold hundreds of events like this each year! Here’s what you and CUB…...

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Big victories so far in 2017

The year is young, but thanks to the support of Illinois residents, CUB’s legal team has notched some nice consumer victories in the first few months of 2017. ComEd rate cut!  In March, CUB helped secure a $17 million rate cut for ComEd customers, after a portion of a rate…...

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Good news- $17 million ComEd rate cut!

We thank the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) for approving a $17.5 million Commonwealth Edison rate cut. This is good news for ComEd customers. While building a more reliable power grid is a major undertaking, ComEd’s customers shouldn’t have to pay a penny more than what the utility can justify. This…...

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What is the Future Energy Jobs Act? CUB analyzes Illinois’ biggest energy legislation in years

The Illinois General Assembly has passed the Future Energy Jobs Act, one of the most significant pieces of energy legislation in the past 20 years. CUB members should know about this new law. What is it?  The Future Energy Jobs Act (Senate Bill 2814) is a compromise bill that was…...

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iPhone customer “filled with glee” after avoiding $999 fee

Thanks to CUB’s help, a Chicago woman saved almost $1,000. According to a CUB complaint, Doretha started experiencing problems with her iPhone this past June—but an AT&T agent told her she qualified for a new phone. The only reason she considered the offer, Annie said, is because AT&T said she…...

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South suburban mom scores smart thermostat

Saving energy and money have always been top priorities for Anam El-Jabli and her family. But the purchase of a new air conditioner last year made it hard for them to afford other appliances. Then the stay-at-home mom read about CUB’s Smart Thermostat Giveaway in the group’s weekly e-newsletter. “I’m an active follower…...

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Happy consumer: Versus AT&T, ‘CUB’s service was superior’

By Sagar Dommaraju Kenneth Voight loves the “Consumer’s Choice” phone plans and his landline so much that he once appeared at a CUB news conference to promote them. So you can imagine how frustrated he was when an AT&T representative suddenly told him that he couldn’t return to the low-cost…...

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